Questionnaire to Determine Your Class

[M Swanson]

So, which of the new, seven classifications do you belong to? It seems that I'm in the "preclariat," class. Whatever that means. It doesn't sound good. :D

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22000973

I (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22000973)f you don't fancy spending time on this, perhaps you could ask your butler to complete it on your behalf. ;)

[Flynn]

It's a lot of nonsense that has been laughed at everywhere.

[M Swanson]

Got to agree with you there, but just think how much it cost to produce this nonsense. Anyway, it's just a birra fun. Did you complete the questionnaire? Come on, fess up, Flynn. :D

[Flynn]

I did, two days ago. Traditional working class.

http://i1353.photobucket.com/albums/q672/Forumstufftoo/Forum%20bits/535de47a-275a-4ab7-9d19-2186fc351a21_zps52c86373.jpg

[M Swanson]

Well, I would think that best describes you, doesn't it? Sounds good to me. I don't actually think I fit into any of the seven classes. Story of my life, Flynn. :D

[golach]

I too am traditional working class, and proud of it [lol]

[Tugmistress]

Result: the class group you most closely match is: Precariat This is the poorest and most deprived class group. According to the Great British Class Survey results, lots of people in this group:


Tend to mix socially with people like themselves
Come from a working class background
Rent their home - over 80%


that's my results lol

[M Swanson]

LOL. Good for you Golach. I think I fit more into that class and can't understand why I landed at the bottom of the heap. Must have something to do with my declared income. I think I may need to have another go and ........... cheat! :lol:

[Flynn]

LOL. Good for you Golach. I think I fit more into that class and can't understand why I landed at the bottom of the heap. Must have something to do with my declared income. I think I may need to have another go and ........... cheat! :lol:

It's because it's a wildly inaccurate device. It seems to determine class purely on income, property owned, and who you socialise with. One of my friends has working class parents, her dad was a postman and her mum was counter staff at the post office, she's a single mum of four, and her job is a lecturer at the local college, she lives on a pittance in rented accommodation. But her result was 'Elite'. The whole thing is a nonsense.

[golach]

LOL. Good for you Golach. I think I fit more into that class and can't understand why I landed at the bottom of the heap. Must have something to do with my declared income. I think I may need to have another go and ........... cheat! :lol:

Its only a joke, not any real relevance to the real world. I do not think it was meant to be taken seriously

[Phill]

I've just assumed the position of 'Elite'.

[M Swanson]

Yes, I'm sure you're right, Golach. I suppose, that if this questionnaire was available for us to complete, say every five years, I would probably fit into each of the classes, at one time, or another. It's nonsense, because throughout my life, I have always identified myself with the working class and been most comfortable with it. Incomes change, but I don't believe who we are can be determined by how much money we earn, or the company we keep, or whether we own our home, or not, as proven by Flynn's example of his friend.

On that happy note, I'm off to work. :D

If I go to the back door, will your Cook give me a cuppa, Phill? :lol:

[Phill]

As it turns out, if your a miserable unsocial bsterd with no cultural interests at all like me, you are in the Elite:

http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy337/Phill_Rawlins/itsalljustrandom/survey_zps51915142.jpg

[Phill]

If I go to the back door, will your Cook give me a cuppa, Phill?One doesn't promote begging.



BTW, we don't have a cook.




We have a chef!

[Gronnuck]

According to this questionaire I'm 'Technical Middle Class'. The questionaire is very simplistic and easily manipulated; you only have to do it three or four times and change one or two answers and you'll get very different results.
I will argue that 'class' is such a nebulous subject it is virtually impossible to measure, there are just too many variables. Money, property, friends and possibly taste in music might be measurable but broader taste, attitude, manners and whatever common sense is, are virtually impossible to accurately gauge.
More importantly I think it is for the individual to feel comfortable with who they are in the company they keep.

[crashbandicoot1979]

I'm an 'emergent service worker,' apparently. It's the first time my social life has ever been called 'cultured.'

[Flynn]

The great British public reacts to this nonsense (http://www.thepoke.co.uk/2013/04/04/the-best-of-the-bbc-class-calculator-spoofs/).

[neilsermk1]

Its your duty to lie in surveys like this, especially when accosted by someone from a political party with a clip board in their hand.

[David Banks]

Its your duty to lie in surveys like this, especially when accosted by someone from a political party with a clip board in their hand.

Every chance I get, - except, occasionally, I tell them (phone "solicitations!") to shut the front door.

[ducati]

It's because it's a wildly inaccurate device. It seems to determine class purely on income, property owned, and who you socialise with. One of my friends has working class parents, her dad was a postman and her mum was counter staff at the post office, she's a single mum of four, and her job is a lecturer at the local college, she lives on a pittance in rented accommodation. But her result was 'Elite'. The whole thing is a nonsense.

Can't be purely on income then can it? Doh!

[ducati]

It's not to offend the prols, it is to demonstrate mobility. However, lots of prols have been offended :lol: (they always are :roll:).

[Flynn]

Can't be purely on income then can it? Doh!

"Purely on income, property owned, and who you socialise with". Do learn to read, there's a good boy.

[ducati]

I'm a T.F.S. according to the link. :eek:

[John Little]

I'm a T.F.S. according to the link. :eek:

But we all knew that anyway! :lol:[lol]

I'm traditional working class by the way.

[secrets in symmetry]

I am of course a member of The Elite.

How could it be otherwise? :cool:

[jacko]

says im elite ......... its gotta be a joke [lol]

[secrets in symmetry]

says im elite ......... its gotta be a joke [lol]Not in my case.

[secrets in symmetry]

However, lots of prols have been offended :lol: (they always are :roll:).There are prols and plebs that will always be offended by polls that expose them as such. I may not be a natural supporter of your politics, but I will always be a political supporter of your natural instincts.

[Flynn]

Prols and plebs will always be offended by polls that expose them as such. I may not be a natural supporter of your politics, but I will always be a political supporter of your natural instincts.

You are wrong. I am a member of the proletariat, and also a plebeian. I am ashamed of neither.

[secrets in symmetry]

You are wrong. I am a member of the proletariat, and also a plebeian. I am ashamed of neither.Not wrong, merely imprecise.

It's fixed.

[secrets in symmetry]

I'm traditional working class by the way.I find that surprising....

[John Little]

Who am I to question the results of this authoritative questionnaire?....

[secrets in symmetry]

Who am I to question the results of this authoritative questionnaire?....Who are you indeed? You are mere working class lol.

I am a member of the Elite, but I can come down to Established Middle Class if I change my answers a little. I suspect I'm not sufficiently stinking rich to be further up the Elite group.

[John Little]

I think you are probably Illuminati, but you won't get me in my trusty bacofoil hat!

[secrets in symmetry]

I think you are probably Illuminati, but you won't get me in my trusty bacofoil hat!Would that be an illuminium hat? :cool:

[John Little]

http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/johnlittle21/image-1.jpg

[John Little]

And before you ask, he's not as ugly as me...

[secrets in symmetry]

Ah, but is he traditional working class?

[John Little]

That is beyond all question. Not the shifty expression, beady eyes, narrow features and self evident low intellect... Can't see his forelock though.

[secrets in symmetry]

That's because he has it on back to front!

[John Little]

That is typical of us traditional working class types. We are also known to do that with underpants.

[secrets in symmetry]

You put your underpants on under your tinfoil hat?

[John Little]

Well it has to be better than over your trousers! I'll leave that to Jox....

[Oddquine]

I'm an 'emergent service worker,' apparently. It's the first time my social life has ever been called 'cultured.'

Snap! Though how emergent a worker, service or otherwise, the average retired pensioner would be is a moot point, given one of the defining criteria is Are young (shouldn't that be feel young?) and Enjoy a cultured social life......what's a social life? Looking at the fancy charts, I think if I pretended most of my friends/relations were less than they are, I could make the traditional working class.....which is where I'd have placed myself.

What is it with the UK that we still do class distinction? What does class matter anyway in the great scheme of things?

[Oddquine]

Its your duty to lie in surveys like this, especially when accosted by someone from a political party with a clip board in their hand.

I've only been surveyed on the street once.....and I didn't have to lie..the person asking the questions continually replied to my responses, which didn't fit their tick boxes (as in the SNP didn't exist in Scotland in their world) with asking me ..if there was no SNP who would you vote for etc. Think I may have been put down in their stats as a Lib-Dem voter..but I didn't lie.

[secrets in symmetry]

Well it has to be better than over your trousers! I'll leave that to Jox....I beg to disagree there.

Does your membership of the traditional working class reflect that old Scottish disease, namely the aspiration to continued mediocrity? Surely not in your case....

[John Little]

There I do disagree.

I take your point that there are those who appear to aspire to a state which may become mediocre. Scotland however is not, at the moment, mediocre and nor are the aspirations, I think, of most of its folk.

It flourisheth as does a rose upon the bough of a great plant. Other roses flourish from the same plant.

Cut off the rose from the plant....

[Bobinovich]

There I do disagree.

I take your point that there are those who appear to aspire to a state which may become mediocre. Scotland however is not, at the moment, mediocre and nor are the aspirations, I think, of most of its folk.

It flourisheth as does a rose upon the bough of a great plant. Other roses flourish from the same plant.

Cut off the rose from the plant....

...and replant the cutting with care and it may, if the conditions are right and it is nurtured carefully, flourish, bloom and grow even better than it did with the rest of the ageing bough! It may also wither & die, but it may do the same over time on the original bough anyway :)

[John Little]

...and replant the cutting with care and it may, if the conditions are right and it is nurtured carefully, flourish, bloom and grow even better than it did with the rest of the ageing bough! It may also wither & die, but it may do the same over time on the original bough anyway :)

Exactly so. Quite a gamble ain't it?

[Bobinovich]

Exactly so. Quite a gamble ain't it?

That depends. When you left your parents house to strike it out on your own I'm sure you made mistakes and learned from them, and triumphed in the face of adversities you encountered, worked, grew, matured, and found your place in the world. However the choice to do that was yours, and you made the very best of it you could. How often is the 'single & still living at home age 40' stereotype maligned as hanging on to the parents apron strings...

Therefore would a nation striking out on it's own not be expected to do the same? There may be a shaky start but surely it's for the people of Scotland to decide 'Is the time right to take the risk, and if we decide to do so we must live with the consequences through rain & shine'.

Don't get me wrong, I'm undecided at present, but do feel that Scotland, under the right leadership (which I don't feel the SNP is at present) could handle itself.

[John Little]

That depends. When you left your parents house to strike it out on your own I'm sure you made mistakes and learned from them, and triumphed in the face of adversities you encountered, worked, grew, matured, and found your place in the world. However the choice to do that was yours, and you made the very best of it you could. How often is the 'single & still living at home age 40' stereotype maligned as hanging on to the parents apron strings...

Therefore would a nation striking out on it's own not be expected to do the same? There may be a shaky start but surely it's for the people of Scotland to decide 'Is the time right to take the risk, and if we decide to do so we must live with the consequences through rain & shine'.

Don't get me wrong, I'm undecided at present, but do feel that Scotland, under the right leadership (which I don't feel the SNP is at present) could handle itself.

I agree with all that you say. I have absolutely no doubt that Scotland can do it if Scotland is willing to pay the price.

And if the people of Scotland decide that, then so be it.

And Independence should be real with all that implies.

But if the United Kingdom is broken up on the strength of the lies, guff, hot air and misrepresentation being put forward as reasons for doing it, then I think we all lose.

If the choice be made and the choice be a fair one, then ducking of awkward questions, refusals to set out firm plans, shifting principles with the wind and taking refuge in unsupportable assertions should not be part of it. Pink and fluffy dreams do not make a flourishing nation either; hard calculations, acceptance of consequences and a diverse economy make a flourishing nation.

The case for the Union is that it is here and now. It functions, provides and is stable; its benefits and its disadvantages are manifest and manifold.

The case for breaking it needs to be not vague but hard, clear and set out in black and white.

Deciding the currency based on what the people of Scotland vote for in 2016 is not that.

You want another referendum in 2016 to decide what money you use?

'Debate' should be exactly that.

[Bobinovich]

I agree with all that you say. I have absolutely no doubt that Scotland can do it if Scotland is willing to pay the price.

And if the people of Scotland decide that, then so be it.

And Independence should be real with all that implies.

But if the United Kingdom is broken up on the strength of the lies, guff, hot air and misrepresentation being put forward as reasons for doing it, then I think we all lose.

If the choice be made and the choice be a fair one, then ducking of awkward questions, refusals to set out firm plans, shifting principles with the wind and taking refuge in unsupportable assertions should not be part of it. Pink and fluffy dreams do not make a flourishing nation either; hard calculations, acceptance of consequences and a diverse economy make a flourishing nation.

The case for the Union is that it is here and now. It functions, provides and is stable; its benefits and its disadvantages are manifest and manifold.

The case for breaking it needs to be not vague but hard, clear and set out in black and white.

Deciding the currency based on what the people of Scotland vote for in 2016 is not that.

You want another referendum in 2016 to decide what money you use?

'Debate' should be exactly that.

Likewise I agree with all you say - yes the safe option is to continue the status quo, & yes there is far too much vagueness around the whole thing. However it's very much a Catch 22 situation - the UK Government won't discuss possible terms of separation until the people of Scotland first make the choice (which makes sense as an awful lot of thought & debate would need to go into something which may then not happen), but the people of Scotland need to know the terms of separation to be able to weigh up the pro's & con's. As I've said previously, we could end up agreeing to independence, but then be thrown a bum deal & be told to take it or leave it.

I am one of those who are of the opinion that the Government of the nation as it stands are too biased towards the southern parts. 'That's only fair' you cry, 'you have your own Government to handle your affairs'. While I admire many of the social policies found north of the border I don't feel the SNP have the balance right. Yes they could U-turn & adapt but their leaders seem too pig-headed to admit they could get anything wrong, so will blindly stumble on on the wrong track. However 2016 may come and we could find ourselves voting in a different party who may fare better, but I sure as heck don't expect Tories or Lib-Dems to have a look in any time soon! Who knows.

On currency I reckon we shouldn't use Sterling, and I would certainly consider any party keeping us away from the Euro & EU, but no reason we couldn't continue with say the Scottish Pound being phased in on a 1-to-1 basis against the current Sterling pound. Another referendum in 2016 might not be a bad idea if it would allow the people to decide on important things which SHOULDN'T be left to party politics, but unfortunately I can't see the politicians agreeing to allowing us that big a say on the founding principles a Scottish nation should adopt :roll:.

I would be all for any future Scottish Government being more 'of the people' - maybe by allowing us to vote online about important decisions regarding our country. If each registered voter were able to have their say on important matters, rather than leaving it solely to a single elected representative from each area (who will often follow party policies rather than what is simply right for their constituency), then it would be a much fairer way to rule... the people would feel included in the decision making process on matters which they feel are important to them.

Just a few thoughts...

[John Little]

Much of what you say would be possible under a properly federal UK where England could have its own parliament too.

The geographical fact of the matter is that most of the UK population is to the south and a government based in London has to deal with that. So it is a very good argument for regionalism. Rob Murray's vision of Devo Max that he put forward a few weeks ago with a Holyrood government and devolved power to the regions seems to me still an excellent one.

What is needed is the political will to change the set up of the UK into a proper federal union with checks and balances in a written constitution. Sort of like the US but no right to bear arms! We need to modernise - the settlement of 1707 will not do - for any of us. Secessionism is a diversion from what it is possible for all to do. Not just for Scots, but for the English, Welsh and Northern Irish, Manx et al.

Tribalism does us all no favours, just destroys the great goose that lays the golden eggs.
If the political will for constitutional change is really there then it can be used to these ends.

If Scotland gets Devo max then it should spread to the other parts of the UK.

As to using Sterling - I linked to an article by a well qualified Irish economist on what happened to Ireland after separation which got dismissed as utter rubbish. It was worth reading though - did you see it?

[John Little]

Sorry I did not address your point about negotiating separation.

It is not solely up to the UK government. Their mandate is to govern the UK, not to split it up, so of course they will not negotiate without such a mandate.

So back to the Secessionists. They have planners. They have advisors. They have legal experts.

These people are fully capable of setting out what they want. Of saying 'These are the things we wish to do and this is how we will do it. This document is our starting point when we go and start to negotiate with the UK government.'

But they have not done that.

Look, when I was told there were 'plans' I went to find out what the SNP's plans were on 20 questions that felt I would wish to ask if I had a vote on independence. I wrote it down but decided it was far far too long for the Org. It's also unfinished and not really publishable but if you want, ping me an email and I'll send you it.

Their 'plans' are not plans. It's all vague, woolly and aspirational. You would not set up a corner shop with 'plans' like these.

[secrets in symmetry]

There I do disagree.

I take your point that there are those who appear to aspire to a state which may become mediocre. Scotland however is not, at the moment, mediocre and nor are the aspirations, I think, of most of its folk. Scotland is not mediocre today, but the drive for egalitarian mediocrity is never far below the surface. Secession would drive the population towards the lower classes, and this would be exacerbated by the exodus of brains and capital across the border to England and beyond.

[secrets in symmetry]

Drat! I forgot to buy opera tickets today.

[John Little]

Then it was not that important - was it? That's a true test of priorities!

[secrets in symmetry]

One has to keep up one's membership of the Elite, does one not?

[John Little]

Ah widnae ken. You're the only one I know...

[secrets in symmetry]

I doubt that. :cool: